MacBook pro & public wifi safety

Public Wifi is always subject to man in the middle attack. Not recommended for anything beyond the most basic browsing.

You are better off connecting through your iOS device as a hotspot and use your own cellular data.

or if you use a VPN. Connect your Mac to a VPN - Apple Support

I use my Macbook Pro on public WiFi all over. I also have a VPN service running to help reduce my risk. Look into something like VPM+N Unlimited from Stack Social's website. It works great and is not terribly expensive.

Infernal?

Any device is subject to whatever flaws or lapses the public wi-fi presents.

Can you get a windows virus, windows malware or windows adware on a Mac OS? No.

Is your data going through someone else's network? Yes.

Proceed at your own risk.